<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Braiding by captainsourwolf</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142826">Braiding</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainsourwolf/pseuds/captainsourwolf'>captainsourwolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rhink Ficlets [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rhett &amp; Link</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Pre-Slash, Softness, a hint of pining?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:56:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainsourwolf/pseuds/captainsourwolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett gets frustrated with his hair, so Link helps out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rhett McLaughlin &amp; Link Neal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rhink Ficlets [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1492520</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Mythical Secret Santa 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Braiding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/loudspeakr/gifts">loudspeakr</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s a well-known fact that Link thinks Rhett’s hair has gotten out of control. He keeps his comments to himself, won’t say much what he thinks Rhett should do with it, but he’s made it obvious what he thinks about the current state of his friend’s wild curls. Rhett has tried to get him to say what he really feels, but Link has held back for fear of hurting the other’s feelings. </p><p>Until now. </p><p>It’s just another day at the creative house, both of them sequestered in their own offices to work on some exciting new content for the new year. Link taps at the keys on his laptop with one hand and chews on his thumbnail on the other, enjoying the peace and solitude for the first time in awhile. With nothing but a record playing softly through the house, he can concentrate on his work without the noise of a crowded office to distract him. </p><p>It’s as he’s responding to yet another email that the peace and quiet is broken by Rhett’s loud cursing down the hall. He listens for a few moments as the curses get louder, more frustrated, and then a few things clatter to the floor. Curious now, Link gets up to go investigate. </p><p>He finds Rhett in the bathroom attached to his office, face twisted in a scowl, brush in one hand and hair tie in the other; a few items around the sink have fallen over or hit the floor. He seems aggravated as he stares at himself in the mirror and Link sighs, knocking on the door to announce his presence. Startled, Rhett jumps and fumbles with the brush, nearly dropping it in his surprise. His cheeks flush pink. </p><p>“What’re you doing?” Link asks, small grin stretching across his face. </p><p>Rhett sighs and shrugs. “Trying to tame the nest,” he starts and Link’s smile grows. “But it’s not cooperatin’ today.” Sighing, he drops the brush to the countertop and gives up, hands flopping to his sides as he frowns at his hair in the mirror. He tilts his head side to side, observing the mess on his head and pulling at a few loose and messy curls. </p><p>“Want me to help?” Link picks up the brush and taps Rhett’s bicep with the handle, smile softening when he catches Rhett’s eyes in the mirror. Rhett looks skeptical staring back. “Don’t give me that look! I used to do your hair all the time, remember?” He taps Rhett again playfully and motions for him to follow Link out of the bathroom. </p><p>Link sits in Rhett’s rolling office chair, pointing to the space on the floor between his knees. A slight blush creeps down his neck at the implication of the gesture, but Rhett doesn’t seem to notice. Groaning, Rhett throws his hands up in the air in defeat and carefully lowers himself down. As he settles in between Link’s spread legs, he mumbles something incoherent, but Link knows he’s just being grumpy. </p><p>Brush in hand, Link gently begins running it through Rhett’s curls. Rhett automatically winces and tries to shrug away, but Link holds him back with a firm hand on his shoulder. </p><p>“Don’t pull so hard!” Rhett grumbles. </p><p>“Ya big baby, I’ve barely started,” Link says. He’s smiling though, and when he brings the brush back to Rhett’s hair his friend doesn’t pull away this time. “You know, you’ve let this mess get way out of hand?” He waits for a response, something bitchy or smart, yet nothing comes. Rhett remains silent, head tipped back and nearly brushing Link’s stomach, shoulders tucked snugly between Link’s knees. “You look like a wild man, a hermit, maybe Tarzan.”</p><p>All he gets is a grunt; otherwise Rhett keeps quiet and lets Link continue.</p><p>“George of the Jungle? That seems more likely,” Link starts again. The brush gets tangled in a bad knot on the underside of Rhett’s hair, making him wince and try to jerk away. “This mess definitely reminds me of a rat’s nest and--”</p><p>“Okay, <i>okay</i>, I get it!” Link can’t see the glare, but he can sense it when Rhett’s face twists up and his eyes squint. A fist bumps his knee, a laugh following, and Link swallows hard. </p><p>For a while after that, neither of them say anything. Brushing Rhett’s hair becomes a mindless task, one that allows Link’s thoughts to drift to the days of a similar position in a dorm room hundreds of miles away. Rhett’s hair was nowhere near the length it is now and it wasn’t the natural color it is now, but he remembers it being an enjoyable task, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud. Anything to be close to his friend, to spend time with him, made Link happy. He keeps thinking as he works out the last of the tangles and can’t help the smile on his face when Rhett tries to hold back the grunts of disapproval.</p><p>After another minute of running the brush through and getting the final knots out, Link taps Rhett’s shoulder to hand him an elastic. Rhett tugs one off his wrist and hands it to Link over his shoulder, their fingers brushing. Rhett jerks his hand back and Link ignores the tingle. </p><p>“Remember when I used you to practice doing hair before Lily came along?” Link asks quietly. It’s a distraction from the moment, something he knows will work. </p><p>Rhett chuckles, shoulders shaking. “You were <i>so</i> bad at it, it’s a wonder she had any hair left. And me, too, come to think of it.” Gasping, Link tugs a little too hard on a loose curl hanging over Rhett’s ear. “Ow, Link!” </p><p>“I ended up being pretty good at it, thank you very much,” Link gripes and pops Rhett with the ponytail holder. “Want me to prove it? I’ll braid your hair right now and it’ll be the best damn braid you’ve ever seen, buddyroll.” Link doesn’t wait for an answer. </p><p>Instead he tucks the elastic between his teeth and uses the brush to gather up a section on the top of Rhett’s head. With quick and steady fingers, Link french braids Rhett’s hair. He’s meticulous as he goes, normally shaky hands steady now as he gathers up sections and braids them together until he’s run out of length. At the end, he uses the elastic to tie off the little ponytail and keep the braid intact. He pats Rhett’s shoulders, fingers ghosting over his neck when he pulls away and scoots backwards to give him room to stand. </p><p>“Go look at my masterpiece,” Link gloats, grinning at Rhett. Rhett rolls his eyes and hoists himself off the floor. He goes to the bathroom, quiet. Link waits impatiently, half expecting to hear complaints or a scoff, maybe see Rhett come back with the braid loose and falling. “Well?”</p><p>It’s silent for a few more seconds before Rhett emerges from the bathroom, a smile on his face. He nods once and feels along the tight sections with his fingers, like he’s inspecting his hair and finding something he likes. Link watches and he’s suddenly blushing under the other man’s approval. Clearing his throat, Link looks away and shoves the chair back under the desk, brush in hand to return to its place by the sink. </p><p>On his way by, Rhett grabs Link’s elbow, squeezing lightly and looking down at Link with an unreadable expression on his face. They stare at each other for a second, then Rhett lets him go and Link clears his throat again, a lump in his throat that wasn’t there before. He deposits the brush back in its spot, taking a moment to straighten things up after Rhett’s clumsiness earlier. And, if he’s honest with himself, a moment to stop his hands shaking. </p><p>When he’s done, Link rejoins Rhett in the office. He finds Rhett with his phone in hand, camera reversed so he can look at himself some more. He stands there watching, smirking. Rhett snaps a photo and then another before he notices Link behind him staring. </p><p>“Told you it’d be the best damn braid you’ve ever seen,” Link says softly, smirk stretching into a smile. </p><p>Rhett shrugs, trying for nonchalant, and sits down in his chair. “Yeah, it’s decent.” He’s joking, but Link still rolls his eyes. He sighs and waves Rhett off, turning to leave when he hears a quiet, “Link?”</p><p>Link stops and waits. Rhett swallows so hard his throat clicks. </p><p>“Ya did good, it looks great,” he says and the clicking of his keyboard signals the end of the conversation. </p><p>Link frowns, but leaves the room anyway, shoulders sagging and hands shaking. Maybe another day, another time, he’ll take it a little further. Say what he wants to say. Do what he wants to do. Anything to be close, and happy. </p><p>For now he’ll settle with braiding Rhett’s hair. That in mind, Link closes the door behind him to his own office and gets back to work, suddenly wishing for the noise of a crowded office to distract him.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>